Asian American Theatre is classified as any American theatre works by artists of Asian ancestry. These works range from the avant-garde spectacles of Ping Chong to the Broadway playmaking of David Henry Hwang. It is more often a reference to a contemporary movement of ethnic-indentigied theatre that has yielded several regional companies. These companies have provided encouragement, training, and professional experience for Asian-American actors, directors, and playwrights. Controversy still remains over whether these works produce a united aesthetic or political outlook.
Asian extraction have been performing in the U.S. for over a century in various forms. Traditional operas, puppet shows, and acrobatic displays were imported as early as the mid 19th century. These works, exotic and baffling to many Westerners, were welcomed by Chinese laborers in the California gold mines. Tung Hook Tong was most likely the first opera company of its kind to tour nationally.
Anti-Chinese sentiment flared in the 1870s, and in 1882 Congress passed the Asian Exclusion Act to reduce immigration. Other racial violence drove many Chinese form California to other regions of the country. The new Chinatowns soon had their own opera clubs, and by the beginning of the 20th century there were professional Chinese opera houses open in New York, Portland, Boston, and San Francisco.
Interest in traditional performance gradually diminished, and by the 1930s many Chinatown theatres were solely Chinese-language cinemas. By then, the Japanese and Vietnamese populations were growing in the U.S., mostly from the West. Few Asian-American artists appeared in Western-style live entertainment. The American theatre continued to periodically produce shows with Asian themes, but Asian actors were usually given roles for stock character maids, cooks, vamps, and spies, while whites played the leads.
Differences between Western and Asian drama kept Asian immigrants away from theatre altogether. Asian American theatre particularly diminished in popularity when the Japanese were placed in relocation camps during World War II. However, when third and fourth generation Asian Americans appeared, the stereotyping and casting practices remained.
In 1965, the East West Players was created in Los Angeles as part of the civil rights movement. It served as a self-help venture, talent showcase, and declaration of ethic pride. In 1973, the creation of the Asian American Theatre Workshop, later renamed the Asian American Theatre Company, destroyed the old media images of Asians and aggressively revealed the frustrations and contradictions of the Asian-American experience. Other company formed for Asian-American actors include the San Asian Repertory Theater in 1977, which boosted careers of many Asian-American actors.
Only a few Asian-American playwrights "crossed over" into mainstream venues. The most famous example of this is David Henry Hwang's early works, such as M. Butterfly. As Asian-American theater continues to grow, those involved has repudiated the notion that Asian Americans are a "silent, invisible" majority by participating n all areas of popular culture. While some critics now decry ethnic-specific cultural expression, drama leaders defend its ongoing importance.
Asian extraction have been performing in the U.S. for over a century in various forms. Traditional operas, puppet shows, and acrobatic displays were imported as early as the mid 19th century. These works, exotic and baffling to many Westerners, were welcomed by Chinese laborers in the California gold mines. Tung Hook Tong was most likely the first opera company of its kind to tour nationally.
Anti-Chinese sentiment flared in the 1870s, and in 1882 Congress passed the Asian Exclusion Act to reduce immigration. Other racial violence drove many Chinese form California to other regions of the country. The new Chinatowns soon had their own opera clubs, and by the beginning of the 20th century there were professional Chinese opera houses open in New York, Portland, Boston, and San Francisco.
Interest in traditional performance gradually diminished, and by the 1930s many Chinatown theatres were solely Chinese-language cinemas. By then, the Japanese and Vietnamese populations were growing in the U.S., mostly from the West. Few Asian-American artists appeared in Western-style live entertainment. The American theatre continued to periodically produce shows with Asian themes, but Asian actors were usually given roles for stock character maids, cooks, vamps, and spies, while whites played the leads.
Differences between Western and Asian drama kept Asian immigrants away from theatre altogether. Asian American theatre particularly diminished in popularity when the Japanese were placed in relocation camps during World War II. However, when third and fourth generation Asian Americans appeared, the stereotyping and casting practices remained.
In 1965, the East West Players was created in Los Angeles as part of the civil rights movement. It served as a self-help venture, talent showcase, and declaration of ethic pride. In 1973, the creation of the Asian American Theatre Workshop, later renamed the Asian American Theatre Company, destroyed the old media images of Asians and aggressively revealed the frustrations and contradictions of the Asian-American experience. Other company formed for Asian-American actors include the San Asian Repertory Theater in 1977, which boosted careers of many Asian-American actors.
Only a few Asian-American playwrights "crossed over" into mainstream venues. The most famous example of this is David Henry Hwang's early works, such as M. Butterfly. As Asian-American theater continues to grow, those involved has repudiated the notion that Asian Americans are a "silent, invisible" majority by participating n all areas of popular culture. While some critics now decry ethnic-specific cultural expression, drama leaders defend its ongoing importance.